Beef with cumin recipe

Cumin is not a typical spice in mainstream Chinese cookery. I came across the original version of this sensational recipe in a restaurant in Hunan called Guchengge, and it became one of the most popular in my Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.

Ingredients

250 g trimmed beef steak

0.5 red pepper

0.5 green pepper

4 tbsp cooking oil

1.5 tsp finely chopped ginger

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 - 4 dried chilli flakes, to taste

2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

1 tsp sesame oil

8.8 oz trimmed beef steak

0.5 red pepper

0.5 green pepper

4 tbsp cooking oil

1.5 tsp finely chopped ginger

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 - 4 dried chilli flakes, to taste

2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

1 tsp sesame oil

8.8 oz trimmed beef steak

0.5 red pepper

0.5 green pepper

4 tbsp cooking oil

1.5 tsp finely chopped ginger

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 - 4 dried chilli flakes, to taste

2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

1 tsp sesame oil

For the marinade

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

0.25 tsp salt

0.5 tsp light soy sauce

0.75 tsp dark soy sauce

1.5 tsp potato flour

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

0.25 tsp salt

0.5 tsp light soy sauce

0.75 tsp dark soy sauce

1.5 tsp potato flour

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

0.25 tsp salt

0.5 tsp light soy sauce

0.75 tsp dark soy sauce

1.5 tsp potato flour

Details

Cuisine: Chinese

Recipe Type: Main

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Step-by-step

Cut the beef into thin bite-sized slices. Stir the marinade ingredients with 11/2 tbsp water and mix well into the meat. Trim the peppers and cut them into strips 1-2cm wide, then diagonally into lozenge-shaped slices.

Add 3 tbsp of the oil to a seasoned wok over a high flame and swirl it around. Add the beef and stir-fry briskly to separate the slices. When the slices have separated but are still a bit pink, remove them from the wok and set aside.

Return the wok to the flame with the remaining oil. Add the ginger and garlic and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds to release their fragrances, then tip in the peppers and fresh chilli, if using, and stirfry until hot and fragrant. Return the beef slices to the wok, give everything a good stir, then add the cumin and dried chillies. When all is sizzlingly fragrant and delicious, add the spring onions and toss briefly. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.

Every Grain of Rice, by Fuchsia Dunlop. Texy by Fuchsia Dunlop, 2012. Photographs by Chris Terry, 2012. Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc, 2012.